Confrontation in Tehran City Council Over Whistleblower of 'Corruption' in Municipality

A request from a committee chairman in the Tehran City Council to the head of the judiciary to handle the case of 'Memari News' as a media issue rather than a security one has sparked reactions from several council members. Rahmatollah Hafezi, the chairman of the Health Committee of the Tehran City Council, on Tuesday, October 6, called on the head of the Iranian judiciary to remove the case of the 'Memari News' website manager from security issues and treat it as a press matter. In the council session, he addressed Sadegh Amoli Larijani, saying, 'Certainly, your wisdom and prudence can guide this case back to a natural course of investigation and eliminate the suspicion of influence from the owners of wealth, power, and deception in the case.' In this context, according to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Abdolhossein Mokhtabad, a member of the Cultural Committee of the Tehran City Council, also suggested that Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf withdraw his complaint against 'Memari News.' However, Reza Taghipour, another member of the Tehran City Council, criticized these statements, accusing some council members of interfering in the judiciary's jurisdiction and stating, 'It is not unlikely that one day council members will ask the judiciary to release murderers as well.' 'Memari News' is a news-analysis website in urban planning and construction that was filtered on September 1 after revealing news about the transfer of properties at low prices and significant discounts by the Tehran Municipality, following orders from judicial authorities. Yashar Soltani, the editor-in-chief of 'Memari News,' was arrested on September 18 after being summoned to the media court and failing to provide a 200 million toman bail. According to ISNA, Abolfazl Ghanavati and Morteza Talai, other members of the Tehran City Council, also criticized Rahmatollah Hafezi's remarks, with Morteza Talai, who chaired the council meeting, stating, 'Individuals have filed complaints against this site (Memari News) due to allegations it made against them.' Abolfazl Ghanavati, whose name appeared among those listed by 'Memari News' for receiving properties without regulation, said, 'Some council members' names have been unjustly mentioned.' In contrast, Ahmad Masjed-Jamei, another member of the Tehran City Council, accused the Iranian judiciary of a 'dual approach' regarding the transfer of Tehran Municipality properties, stating on September 3 that websites that 'levied serious accusations against the government under the pretext of salary slips' were not filtered, and the filtering of 'Memari News' would be seen by public opinion as a 'dual approach to a problem.' Sadegh Larijani, the head of the Iranian judiciary, however, rejected the notion of a 'dual approach' by this institution regarding the issues of 'astronomical salaries and the Tehran Municipality case,' stating that 'foreign counter-revolutionaries are constantly trying to convey that everyone in the Islamic Republic is corrupt and a thief.' Meanwhile, Sadegh Kashani, the lawyer for Yashar Soltani, announced that his client has three plaintiffs. The first complaint relates to the publication of news about the wedding of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf's daughter in Lavizan Park. 'Memari News' reported that due to the wedding ceremony of the Tehran mayor's daughter in Lavizan Forest Park on July 9, entry to the park had been prevented for several days prior. The Tehran Municipality denies this report. The lawyer for the editor-in-chief of 'Memari News' also stated that his client was sued for publishing news about the appointment of Mehdi Chamran's son, the head of the Tehran City Council, as the deputy of the Abbasabad Land Renewal Company. 'Memari News' reported that a month before the audit case of the Abbasabad Renewal Company was reviewed in the Tehran City Council, senior municipal officials appointed Mohammad Hossein Chamran, Mehdi Chamran's son, as the deputy of architecture and urban planning of this company. Mehdi Chamran denied any connection between his son's appointment and the prevention of the audit case review of the Abbasabad Renewal Company. According to Soltani's lawyer, the publication of reports about the transfer of Tehran Municipality properties constitutes the third complaint against Yashar Soltani, the editor-in-chief of 'Memari News.' Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists have recently issued separate statements calling for the release of Yashar Soltani, the editor-in-chief of 'Memari News.' These two free speech advocacy organizations have repeatedly criticized the actions of Iranian officials regarding the detention of media activists, 'press suppression,' and filtering. According to Reporters Without Borders, Iran, with at least 30 imprisoned journalists and web writers, is one of the top five prison countries for journalists. In this context, the arrest of the editor-in-chief of the critical website after 'failing to secure bail' was noted, with the judiciary spokesperson stating that the filtering of the website was unrelated to the municipality case.